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July 15, 2024
Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,
By now, you are all aware of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, as well as the death of an attendee and critical injuries to two others at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. Despite our nation’s increasingly polarized political ideologies, violence is never the answer. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the victims and their families. Let us, as a University Community, recommit ourselves to civil dialogue, which is critically important when political opinion seems so vastly different during this tense time in our nation’s history. Our constructive interactions can set a positive example that extends beyond our campus.
Turning back to campus, I am pleased to report that the Fiscal Year 2025 State Budget that Gov. Murphy recently signed includes the restoration of the $7.5 million in supplemental funding, for William Paterson. Large thanks go to Senator Nellie Pou for her continued support of WP. NJASCU institutions successfully lobbied for restoring the Outcomes-Based Allocation to the budget. This resulted in $4.5 million in funds restored to our budget. Additionally, thanks to the efforts of Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly, we have been able to secure $1 million in State funding to support our growing Nursing initiatives. Also of note, Gov. Murphy signed legislation that will eliminate the Praxis skills test that is currently required for teacher certification in New Jersey. This is good news for the aspiring teachers among our students and graduates, as the requirement was outdated, and its removal opens up the path for more teachers to help ease the shortage in our State’s schools. Special thanks to Dr. Sue Tardi and AFT for their support in helping us to secure the above-mentioned funds. I also want to thank Vice President Guillermo de Veyga for his continued good work in Trenton and with our legislative delegation.
Turning to enrollment, as of last Thursday, overall enrollment for Fall 2024 stands at 7,642 students, which represents a 6% increase over this point last year. Main campus enrollment (which excludes WP Online), however, stands at 5,065 students for Fall 2024, which is a 1.5% decrease over last year at this time. Overall enrollment for continuing students (which includes WP Online) stands at 5,357, which is 4.4% ahead of last year, but main campus continuing students are down 5.7% from this time last year, at 3,535. New student applications are up 16.6% and accepted students are up 16.6%. There are currently 1,110 first-year student deposits, which is 19.6% ahead of last year's number. Overall, new student enrollment for Fall 2024 is up 14.3%.
While there are a lot of positive numbers and encouraging indicators, that is not the case with main campus continuing students, which have an outsized influence on our revenue and budget. So, we need to direct efforts all across campus toward helping re-enroll this critical population.
Please mark your calendars for the start of the Fall 2024 semester on Tuesday, August 27, when all faculty and staff are expected to be on campus to participate in Welcome Day activities for our students. I will also deliver my State of the University address in the afternoon. Stay tuned for more details and a complete schedule of events.
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